Page 42 of Taming the Highland Beauty

Minerva must have sensed what Gille had seen because for the first time, the seal’s demeanour changed as she waddled onto the shore. She stopped before Gille and her body began to writhe and twist, her sleek form contorting. Her sealskin, once smooth and glistening, began to crack and peel, revealing a soft, human-like body beneath. Her pelt sloughed off, leaving behind a shimmering residue that became a silky dress that caught the wind, whipping around her as her webbed feet retracted, converting into delicate toes. A long, flowing mane of seaweed-green hair erupted from her head, cascading down her shoulders. Her eyes, once piercing and cold, softened, taking on a human warmth.

As the final transformation completed, Minerva stood tall, a majestic selkie queen, her beauty a testament to the magic of the sea. But instead of the young, vibrant woman Gille had expected, Minerva was old, and frail, with a hint of desperation in the lines that wreathed her eyes and mouth.

“Perhaps it will be easier for us to talk like this,” Minerva said, her gaze passing over Gille and shifting to Lady Janet. “Only in the presence of a moonstone can I change form without moonlight.”

Lady Janet drifted to the water’s edge. Minerva. She bowed her head. These words are long overdue, but I am so very sorry for taking Lottie away from you, for causing your pod grief, and for putting your own family at risk.

Minerva nodded and appeared to accept the apology. “At least you had the sense not to tell anyone about Lottie. Not even your own family. That helped to keep my pod safe from others who would steal our pelts.”

Gille stared at the women before her. Her chest tightened, her breath stuttered, and an odd sensation raced down her spine. “Our fates, yours, Lady Janet’s, and mine, have always been linked, have they not?” she demanded of Minerva.

After a brief hesitation, Minerva nodded. “The maiden.” She waved her hand at Gille. “The mother.” Her hand continued towards Lady Janet, then came to rest in front of herself. “And the crone.”

Gille frowned. “But they controlled heaven, earth, and the underworld.”

Minerva offered her a sympathetic smile. “And we are a fae cursed in the human realm, a human caught between the spirit realm and the afterlife, and a selkie who longs to protect her pod before she hands over her rule to her daughter, Lottie.”

“I am your daughter?” Lottie gasped in the water behind them.

“Aye. Your memory has yet to fully return,” Minerva said. “Once we each complete our unfinished tasks, we will oversee the earth, the afterlife, and the sea as we were always meant to. We will all get what we want when your curse is broken.”

“Then help me do that by giving me the words to the song,” Gille pleaded. It appeared time was running out for all of them.

“If I only could,” Minerva said sadly. “The moonstone is the key to all of this. You must take it to a place along the coastline, near the village of Elgol, and use it to illuminate the words you need that are etched onto the walls of Spar Cave.”

“Why place the words where none of you can access them?” Gille asked.

“The cave used to be accessible to the selkies, but no longer. And will only be accessible to you for one hour either side of low tide.”

“Where is Elgol?” Gille asked, with rising panic.

Marcus stepped forward. “I can get us there in my ship. The Cliodna is still anchored just off the coast of Dunvegan. We can take rowboats and be on board in less than an hour.”

“And when is low tide?” Callum asked, his voice suddenly strained.

Marcus pressed his lips into a thin line as he studied the shores of Loch Dunvegan. “As it is now sunrise, and the tide here is high,” Marcus said, “it is likely at noon the tide will be low, which means we have from approximately eleven o’clock to one o’clock to access the Spar Cave.”

“Can you make it to Elgol in that time?” Rowena asked her husband.

His features pinched. “Only with the best of winds in our sails.”

“Or with waves at your stern,” Pearl said in an encouraging voice. “I still have some magic left to me. Since I can control the sea, I will make certain you arrive in time.”

Marcus looked startled for a moment, but then nodded. “I will have my men ready the ship.”

“Thank you, Marcus.” Callum clapped Marcus on the shoulder. “You are a good man. I am sorry I ever doubted you.”

“I will have Mrs Honey gather supplies for a meal that can be prepared on board,” Gwendolyn said, turning to her husband. “You and I will be on that voyage with them.”

Alastair looked to Tormod and Orrick. “Can I leave the two of you in charge of the castle? With the English so close and on edge, I do not want all of us away at the same time.”

“You can count on us,” Tormod said. “With Orrick, Isolde, Graeme, and myself, we can afford to spare Aria if she wants to travel with her sister and mother.”

“I do,” Aria said, offering the men a grateful smile. “I have missed so much of Gille’s life. I want to be with her now, when it really matters.”

Minerva stepped back into the waves. “I can only wait in the loch for your return once the moonstone is on that ship,” Minerva said with a hint of sadness in her voice. “But I am thrilled you will be taking such a special moonstone to a place where it will keep all the selkies safe, or at least as safe as they can be until a new threat comes along.” She turned to Lottie. “That will be your burden, my daughter.”

“I gratefully accept the challenge of protecting our people. For I know what it is like to live on the land and in the sea.”